Bernard Hinault's on Jonas Vingegaard's decision to end season early: "Vingegaard gives the impression of loving racing less than a Pogacar or an Evenepoel"

So? Does he owe someone more?

Jonas has won every race he entered and finished this year except for the TdF. I will not say that's a failure. Especially when you consider how bad his injuries were and the fact that he's just welcomed a new child.

In fairness, you don’t include all of MvdPs and WVAs race days, somehow for road cycling it matters little how much these guys had raced by the time the road season started.

Ironically, those who don’t like Vingegaard are the ones most complaining about him not participating much??? Same logic as bike haters complaining that cyclists aren’t using cars like them to worsen traffic even more.

Oh, can you elaborate? As far as cycling goes, I cannot recall a period when the peleton entente was better and save one or two podcasters, everyone is pretty respectful to each other, it’s mostly the entourage that needs to get a grip on itself.

thank you. I agree. how many factory workers would prefer to spend time with their kids. he’s paid to win bike races. so go race

He's paid to win GT's, mainly the Tour

Paid a lot for a part time job !

"I have two kids as well but find time to do the job I'm paid for."

I think he is doing his job quite well indeed. Are you considered among the top 4 performers in the world at the job you do? If not then maybe don't criticize his work ethic.

"he’s paid to win bike races. so go race"

Pretty sure Visma is getting their money's worth and more with Jonas

He's a a part time worker! Lots of people get back to their jobs after their kids are born and/or injured. There's no reason he couldn't be racing the end of season classics as well as the world RR all of which are in his wheelhouse.

How'd that work out for them this year in the Tour? And zero guarantees with the next tours with Tadeg and Remco racing. At least Tadeg and Remco race year round and you get more bang for the big bucks with them! Same with Primoz!

Oh really, you do realise that in order to win a GT most riders spend practically more time than most people work just sitting in their saddle gathering hard kms?

And considering the sacrifices, dangers, career length and other factors, I doubt many would care to swap places, even for goid money. No idea what country’s laws you are stuck with but it’s pretty likely you can get quute a bit of paid time off for your children and can look forward to weekends and don’t have to be far away from home 6-8 months of the year. What a silly attitude, as if everyone should be in your situation. His employer obviously has less problems with it than you.

The only world class rider who rides YEAR round is MvdP, all the others “rest” in winter.

Any top world class rider who bails on the season after the Tour of Poland deserves the criticism he is getting ! Plus he started his season late ! He's a part-time racer. Just like Froome was who never did any classics.

And by 'season' I'm referring to the road season ONLY...not CX included.

He has all of winter off and he bailed on the season after the Poland tour! AND he started his season late and he gets time with his family during the season. Have you not noticed his family seeing him at the races he performs at? He's not living some monk life-style all during the racing season. Yea he does altitude camps and a single grand tour but other than that he gets family time!

This is why Tadej is so well liked. He rides. He knows he’s blessed. His genetics he was born with. He respects those that have to clock in every day regardless of what is going on at home.

Top 4 in the world yes. But he gets paid as such too. And can decide when he doesn’t want to work. It must be nice.

He is amazing. But others seem to love it more. Which makes them more likable., at least to me.
And seemingly Hinault too

I’d swap places in a second. He will get paid more in a 10 year cycling career than we will be paid in a life time.

Risk - drive to work on freeways in LA.
Risk - fly around the world selling stuff.
Risk - be a policeman, fireman, etc.

He doesn’t have to do any of that.

Race days in 2023:
Vingegaard - 67 days
Pogacar - 49 days
Evenepoel - 67 days
Roglic - 64 days
MvdP - 46 days
WvA - 55 days

Did you say this about MvdP and Pogacar last year as well?

Do your homework better as Tadeg was injured and MvdP came off a complete CX season

And by work you are referring to race days only right? Your rules so you can win your argument?

You have no respect for the work Jonas does, so what if Tadej does a little more (at the expense of family), but let’s wait and see how he reacts if he ends up having children to compare like with like.

Tadej has also been known to “boycott” work by the way but I guess you’d spin that positively.

Are you telling me that if Tadej said he didn’t want to do the Giro this year he’d have had backlash from employers or fans? No way. It’s only because he did so much this year that some started criticising Jonas and not so long ago everyone was hating on Evenepoel, now suddenly he’s one of the good guys when it suits.

Like I’ve said before, if Visma and sponsors are happy, why should anyone care, you’re not even paying to go watch him!

Ha, that’s only coz you’ve never seen (or maybe even though about) the downsides to that lifestyle.

America is how Americans made it, enjoy. It is also largely responsible for the (mostly one-way) system where these guys get what most consider is far too well paid even if comparatively it’s still peanuts and in cycling it’s relatively new so thanks for that,

Have to laugh at tour risk assessment though, fly around the world selling stuff? What, Cocaine, guns?

Many riders take some time off when their children are born yet get back into racing soon after. Look at Wout last year.
Like Hinault and others have said maybe Jonas isn’t a diehard racer and ends the season early on his accord. We live watching the best race against each other and not quit the season early … that’s the bottomline.
Spin it anyway you want to.

Lot of word salad here with zero meaning !

Go watch soccer, best players are now offering 80 or more matches a season to satisfy insatiable fans and finances.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how anyone still has time to work with all the sport they’re obliged to follow.

They are paid to play. Pretty basic formula.

The UCI uses a points system to rank the pro cyclists based on a rolling 52-week results achieved in prestigious races. Tadej tops the UCI rankings with 10900+ points, Remco is 2nd with 5290+ points, Primoz is 5th with 4266 points, Jonas is 8th with 3536 points. Tadej is paid 6.5 million USD (highest) per year, Primoz 4.9M, Jonas 4.4M, and Remco 3.1M USD.
When these pro cyclists fail to achieve results, then the pay flies out the window.

I’d like to see up to what point they’ll continue paying if they end up playing badly due to exhaustion, or not at all due to injury. The day is not far off when Players will strike (back).

Even Elon can’t work more than 24h/day, no matter how much he pays himself.

I’m pretty disappointed so far in the data and presentation of cyclist’s salaries.

Firstly, no-one uses sources to justify the figures which are more estimated than factual and it seems almost everyone copy-pastes initial reports for each rider.

Secondly, nobody discusses or defines the figures to ascertain what they represent, in fact the same figures are quoted everywhere as being two very different things, salary and earnings which are actually two very different concepts for athletes.

It is sad though that some criticise the top riders for finally earning sums in relation to what they bring. A few of these guys have contributed to almost turning themselves into household names, i.e. they are becoming marketable and thus have value (the « hidden » (for the blind or denialists) side of their job being long hours and days of PR work for teams and their sponsors.

Top salaries may have risen fast but are still far away from those of a dozen other sports and are more due to « investors » throwing money at them than riders making demands. It may have accelerated with Petrostate sportswashing but they were not the initiators and big money traditionally usually came from the more unsavoury or immoral parts of the economy, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, big pharma, chemicals, finance, etc.

"Spin it anyway you want to."

It's not spin to note that Vingegaard was off racing for nearly three months after a life-threatening crash. Considering that injury he managed a still respectable 44 race days and won three stage races. In all likelihood his team supports his decision to now rest and focus on coming back next year stronger than ever.

Also why the focus on Vingegaard? None of his previous (injury free) seasons have suggested that he lacks work ethic or a love of racing.